Should I Have LASIK Before My Vacation?

Have you been thinking about getting LASIK? Are you going on vacation soon? You may be wondering if you should get LASIK before your vacation. Let’s look at a few different questions to help you decide!

Can I Travel After Getting LASIK?

There are two different ways to travel, driving and flying. If you are planning on going on a road trip within a day or two of getting LASIK, then you should not be the one driving.

When you get LASIK surgery, your doctor might prescribe a mild sedative, like Valium. It can take hours for the drug to wear off, and when it does you will have blurry vision.

Most patients are approved to fly at their next-day follow-up appointment. This is great news for patients who traveled to their surgery or travel for work or fun.

You might notice that your eyes get dry while flying, so you should make sure to bring lubricating eye drops.

When Can I Take Part in Activities After LASIK?

Experiencing life without glasses or contacts when doing certain activities is exciting. We know that you want to start doing things you couldn’t do before- like swimming or skiing care-free.

Swimming

When you get LASIK surgery, your eyes are vulnerable to infection. You should wait at least one week after surgery before swimming in a pool.

You should still wear goggles to protect your eyes because pools and hot tubs have chlorine in them. Chlorine is something to avoid because it can dry out your eyes. About one-month post-surgery, you can open your eyes under water.

You should not swim in natural bodies of water for at least two weeks after surgery. Lakes and the ocean have bacteria and tiny organisms in them that can get into your eyes. After LASIK, your eyes are more vulnerable to infections, so stay away as directed!

Water Sports

Getting back into water activities involves wearing the appropriate eye protection. Two weeks after surgery, you can start participating in sailing, snorkeling, and kayaking.

While you are participating, you’ll need to wear goggles or other eye protection. You should wait about three weeks to start doing high impact sports.

These include water skiing, wakeboarding, surfing, and wind surfing. One-month post-surgery, you can do water activities without protection.

Skiing

You should wait 10 or more days post-surgery to go skiing. At high altitudes there are low oxygen levels, which can make your corneas swell. You should also take eye drops to lubricate your eyes while on the slopes.

Can I Be Out In The Sun After Surgery?

It is never advised to be out in the sun for long periods of time. But when you are, you should always wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays.

You should wear sunglasses year-round! Post-surgery, you should stay out of the sun because UV rays can reverse the outcomes from LASIK. You should avoid tanning or other activities to keep your eyes safe.

The main thing to keep in mind is if you have enough time to recover after LASIK before a big vacation. If you know that you’ll have enough buffer time, summer can be a great time to get LASIK!

Not everyone is a candidate for LASIK, to find out if you’re a candidate, take our online LASIK self-test or Schedule a LASIK consultation at Mid Ohio Eye in Columbus, OH now!